RP:Curses!

Part of the The Day I Tried To Live Arc

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

Summary: Khitti learns how to curse, but this time it has nothing to do with 'frak', 'gorram', and 'frell'.

The Black Library, Vailkrin

Khitti had decided that it was Bradyn’s turn to teach. He knew so much about everything in general, might as well get him to start his own lessons with her, yeah? It’d been a little while, at least, since their time with Lorkain, so she’d cooled off and even apologized. For just the fire. Not the glare. Or the bad attitude. He deserved THOSE at least, damn it. She’d suggested meeting at the black library, perhaps. Maybe he’d allow -her- to go there? Maybe. Hopefully. Either way, she’d gone there and waited at the entrance to House Mahara’s grand library of not so nice things, hoping he’d show up. Teach her all the things, Bradyn. And let her see the library. Bookworm chicks dig libraries.

Bradyn would like to say that he was not the sort to hold grudges, but Larewen could be a prime example that he just might. Maybe. Then again that is still an on-going issue, is it really holding a grudge when it is a present and active threat? Hm. Maybe not. It seems that Bradyn is more than fine with the apology he has received, he bad attitudes and glares were of little consequence to him. It would seem that Bradyn would show Khitti this library in particular, and not because he was concerned with the notion that bookworm chicks dig libraries. It seemed like a fair exchange, if she was to attempt to teach him things then why would he not reciprocate this and pass on the knowledge? "Khitti," he would say in his usual flat tone of voice before leading the way to the library. It would be a short walk that would involve them ultimately descending a spiral staircase that brings them into this underground room that they are currently in. If Khitti thought the library in the Maharan Manor was impressive, she will definitely be more than impressed than this one. The difference was not just in size, the Black Library is much larger with a reading room to the north and additional rooms to the south, but also in subject manor. The library at House Mahara spans across numerous subjects, from fiction to non-fiction. It was focused so exclusively on the dark arts as this library in particular seems to be. "Now. Your focus for today? What would you like to be?"

Khitti had that same wonder-filled gaze that she did when she saw the Maharan library. And the forbidden library. AND Gevurah’s library. But, Bradyn wasn’t there for either of those. Trust me, she loved it. It takes a few moments, after they’ve made it downstairs and she’d overcome her awe, for her to get to the point. “I recall you saying you vere vell enough versed in curses and incantations and such. Zhis is vhat I’d like to focus on. As you saw in Frostmaw, I’m skilled enough in music, but vhat I’m lacking is zhe actual bardic talent. I suppose you could say zhat I don’t have much sway in my zhoughts, vhether it’s verbal or instrumental. Zhe violin I own is enchanted, however, and zhe zhings I am able to do vith zhat is not something I’ve been able to do alone, as of yet. Aside from zhis, I vould also like to be able to pair it vith other objects. I made an alright spell between to act as a portal between zhis bracelet of mine--” she lifted her wrist to motion to the jewelry “--and a ring zhat’s been given to zhe captain of zhe ship I dwell on, but it’s not perfect and mainly for emergencies.”

Bradyn offers Khitti a stiff nod, soon crossing the room to pull out a tome from one of the many shelves in the room. He flips through a few pages as he explains. "Curses. Incantations. Sigils. There are those of us who have a very natural talent for writing and creating their own variations of all of these." It's not like any of these spells contained in any of these tomes have written themselves. Some necromancer or mage spent countless hours studying and unraveling the secrets of their arts, only to record their findings for someone else to study. "You don't have much sway to your thoughts?" Bradyn did not understand what Khitti meant by this statement, or perhaps he did not agree based on his own interpretation of what she was saying. The first book he pulls from the shelf is snapped shut and then replaced only for Bradyn to study the spine of a few more tomes and then plucking out a second book. It is opened, the pages are flipped through, and then this one is set on the table only for the necromancer to motion for Khitti to move closer. "Pick a curse from it's pages. And then a second."

Khitti thought about her words for a moment, trying to find a better way to explain. “Sorry. Sometimes my Common isn’t always so great. It’s far better zhan it used to be, at least. Hm. Vhat I mean to say is zhat some bards can empower others zhrough magic. I vitnessed it and vas affected by it by some unknown bard during one of zhe last battles for Frostmaw not long ago. My power doubled considerably because of it. I vant to do zhis, but not just vith power but other zhings as vell. I vant to be able to soothe spirits of zhe living and dead alike or strike fear into either should I need to. Zhere’s innumberable zhings zhat I could do vith it.” She hoped that that would suffice as an explanation and then crossed the room to choose from the book Bradyn laid out. An index finger ran down the page, eyeing each curse as she went. Something easy, something she’s not going to accidentally set loose onto humanity. “Zhese two.” One was to cause blindness, deafness, or muteness; the other was for spontaneous combustion.

Bradyn responds with a flat, "Hm." But that flatness does not suggest a lack of interest, it is just Bradyn. "Some of what you are asking you may very well have to piece together and figure out for yourself. You may need to work with a bard in order to gain better understanding of what it is they do." For some of what she is asking stretches beyond Bradyn's applications. "I can help with the foundations, but how you will apply it with music..." That will be up to Khitti. Bradyn takes a moment to study the two curses that Khitti has selected and deems them appropriate enough for some low level practice. Who would be the test dummy for either of these? Certainly not Bradyn, but the Maharan male was not going to rush head first into having her practice these spells. "Incantations themselves may lend more naturally to being blended with the violin for they are very rhythmical in nature and could easily be spoken or sung in combination with your violin." Bradyn does not loiter near the book he has selected for Khitti, instead he finds his way to toward the center of the room where he moves a few tables out of the way to give them more of a practice space to work with. "So tell me your understanding between the difference of a curse and an incantation. And then tell me if you notice any similarities in the structures of those two very different curses that you have selected." Because if either of them are going to be expected to write their own spells and contribute them to the Black Library....

Khitti tilted her head somewhat, eyeing the male as he wandered away to deal with the tables. “Curses are incantations, but not zhe other vay around. Curses are spells, vhether spoken or made into items, zhat are generally bad for zhe intended. Incantations are spells of any sort; vritten, spoken, other otherwise.” His words about seeking out a bard had not gone unheard, but there had been a nod to acknowledge it before she started speaking. “Both curses I’ve chosen deal vith zhe physical form--something to damage a body rather zhan simply afflict it vith bad luck or some such. One is a lesser curse, vherein it allows zhe target to still continue living. Zhe other, does not.”

Bradyn nods, for all of the points Khitti has made are accurate as far as he is concerned. "I would also argue that curses may sometimes involve the use of ingredients," the hair of the intended target, for example, is one very common ingredient, "..while incantations involve the power of words." And yes, as Khitti has said, curses are a bad, bad thing. Neither curse that Khitti has chosen for the purpose of this exercise will involve either of them needing to run out to gather a single ingredient. What it will involve is a target for Khitti and Bradyn is not willing to be it, nope. He also knows well that the woman will not want to test these out on a living individual, which rules out the first curse. With room cleared, Bradyn comes to stand along the perimeter of the clearing he has created. Within the center of the cleared space, a ghoul manifests from seemingly nowhere. Well, it does not come from nowhere...but let's not dwell on those details right now? Bradyn motions for Khitti come forward yet again, "If you can regenerate the flesh of corpse, reanimate it..." and then melt it's face off. "You can execute a simple combustion curse. Now...Don't make me steal all of Lorkain's fancy sayings." Sarcasm, that lich was not a being of many words and spent most of his time grumping at them to focus. Which was the saying that Bradyn was threatening to steal. Focus, Khitti. Set this creature on fire. Don't worry about the books, consider them fireproofed.

Khitti nodded, “Aye. I actually tried a resurrection spells vith reagents first as opposed to how Lorkain forced us to do so not long ago. I felt like trying both alternatives.” A shrug before she continues. “Ve’ll see. I barely managed reanimation.” Khitti soon quieted herself and picked up the book, eyeing the words to the curse. Imagining a great fire burning within the ghoul, she recited the spell, perhaps not with as much feeling as she should, and watched the undead with waning patience. There was nothing immediate about it with this curse. But, perhaps it was not meant to happen right away?

Bradyn believed that Khitti was more than capable of executing this spell, with or without the violin and yet he was not surprised to see that nothing had happened right away. Was it a ramification of the curse? As far as Bradyn was aware, from his brief glance of the selected curse - no. "Doubt is your worst enemy. You are the only person hindering you right now, you barely managed it....not because you do not have the talent for it." The man lifts a hand, his index finger to his skull to suggest that her failure was all on her own head. "Again. With more conviction this time." Or perhaps Bradyn would have to brave taking the approach that Lorkain did. He certainly noticed that Khitti seemed to focus more once both Bradyn and the lich had managed to irritate her. This is not the tactic that Bradyn would employ this time, not yet. The ghoul would stand in the center of the room, mindlessly waiting without any clue of what end it would hopefully be meeting. While Bradyn was not stationary, the male would circle the perimeter of the cleared space in even and measured steps with both hands clasped behind his back.

Khitti side-eyed Bradyn as he spoke, crimson brows knitted together. Much like with all the things Brand lectured her about, Bradyn was doing the same thing, albeit in a calmer tone that wasn’t twinged with anger or frustration. There was a sigh, but only because she knew what the older vampire was saying to be true. The redhead remained silent for some time, focusing on the thought of the fire starting from within. Finally, she repeated the spell again, with more conviction this time around. A great fire did not erupt just yet, but the smell of burning flesh did start to fill the room. As moments passed, the ghoul’s already rotted skin began to peel and crack before a fire finally did break out and the ghoul turned to cinders. Khitti was quick to take a step back, because, of course, vampires too were just as flammable as the rest of the undead.

The flames expire leaving nothing more than a pile of ash in the spot that the ghoul once was. This was progress but Bradyn was not entirely satisfied with what was seen, this curse could still be better executed. A single word is uttered beneath Bradyn's breath and the ghoul that was just a pile of ash finds form again, standing whole in the center of the room for Khitti's practicing purposes. It should be important to note that the ghoul's swift and almost effortless regeneration is not Bradyn's own doing but some enchantment bestowed upon the library -- necromancers from the past have found it useful to have a practice dummy. It is awfully inconvenient to have to locate test subjects mid-study. Lorkain had people to fetch him bodies from the nearby cemetery, necromancer's studying at the library found a slightly different solution. "One successful casting is not enough. You will repeat this spell again. And then again. And then again." How many times would Bradyn make her chant this particular curse? That depends on how many times that Khitti is able to successfully cause this ghoul to spontaneously combust. Each time the ghoul bursts into flames, Bradyn would cause it to regenerate. Or maybe Khitti would pick up on what the magic word is? It's not as though it is a secret, she could speak it the ghoul would be reformed, it is not in common though.

She was going to remember this when it was her turn to teach finally, Bradyn. Mark my words. She did it though. For the next hour or so, Khitti recited that one word. Over and over and over again. Over time, it took less and less effort to spark that inner flame--and over time, each time the flames exploded, it took on that dark purple like the rest of Khitti’s magic. Each time it took on the shadowfire’s own strange characteristics, even going so far as to mix with her shadowice--for ice did burn as well at such temperatures. “Incineratus,” Khitti would say the ‘magic word’ one last time until it seemed to be as perfected as it could with such a subject. A living specimen might prove more difficult, but there was no way to tell until it was tested in the field. Perhaps some day. But, for now, Khitti seemed somewhat fatigued; while it wasn’t as strenuous as combat magic, the monotonous casting of the same thing over and over again was enough to make anyone tired.

As annoying as it may be for Khitti, Bradyn was not doing it to get under her skin or to irritate her. Practice makes perfect, this is his thinking. He personally would have not made her utter that curse for a full hour, he might have cut the strings loose sooner and instructed her to practice further on her own but it seemed like she was progressing. Why interrupt? This is why he does not object to her putting a stop to lesson that she is now making for herself, she was well surpassing what he had intended for her to do. "Once you have the confidence that you can do it, and you are more than capable, the rest is a matter of research or memorization." Research because most have the ability to only retain a certain amount of spells within their minds, varying from person to person. Retention was a tricky thing and one wrong pronunciation could be deadly for any magic user with any spell. "Even for those who are not lacking in their ego and their confidence, practice is the only way to make progress and this one hour will not make a master out of you." Rather than force Khitti to pick another curse or incantation, forcing herself to tire herself to exhaustion, Bradyn begins to move the tables back into the position they once were. The ghoul is not re-summoned (and that was tiring work for him to do for an hour straight too, thank you very much Khitti). "I would recommend selecting a number of incantations for you to practice daily so that you keep your comfort level with them." Meaning so that she does not start doubting that ability again. What better way to chase that doubt away with a demonstration that she can? "Sigils are only tricky for those who cannot draw basic lines." A curved line is still a line! "Or who lack attention to detail. Not one of my favorite subject areas, I often need the book in front of me for reference." More verbal than visual.

Khitti nodded as he gave instructions on further practice with curses, “Alright.” She squinted a bit in thought at the book of sigils, “I’ve dealt vith runes--studying zhem at least--but sigils are much more complex. Something alchemists use, yes?” The redhead let out a ‘hm’, eyeing the book carefully. “I’ve never dabbled in alchemy--zhe magical side of it anyway; potion and elixir-making is simple. All you do is follow zhe recipe, so it’s a lot like cooking and baking.” And that was something she definitely knew a lot about.

"Ah, a sigil is any form of symbol but you are correct, they are much more complex than a simple rune. I believe that sigils are used in all manner of arcane arts, alchemists may employ them. I have heard of sigils being painted above doors or under beds to ward off beings that may have ill-intent. Protection spells. I have equally heard that sigils are the best way to hold a summoned spirit at bay." The examples could go on, their uses likely only limited to the abilities of the mage employing them. Bradyn takes to leaning against a table, one of the ones he just recently moved back into place. "I would say that potion and elixir making is the easiest of all of the arts, so long as one can read and follow directions it should not be an area that anyone has any trouble with." A brow is lifted at her comparison to cooking and baking, as this is a matter that Bradyn has not even considered for some time. He's old. "I suppose it is like cooking or baking. Now. Do you have any questions in specific?"

Khitti tilted her head, eyeing the book, “In specific to sigils? No. I zhink I should be able to manage. I dabble in drawing every now and zhen, so it should be fairly zhe same zhings.” Khitti was jack-of-all-trades essentially and she was definitely not a master of any of them, though she was certainly working on the Black Tides part; even baking had its mishaps sometimes and that’s with a magic stove/oven! “I do have one question for you--vell, two I suppose. One of zhem is if I can borrow zhis book, for studying.” She’s hesitant to ask, knowing full well how things are with the Black Library, but she decided to go for it anyway. “You should know me vell enough by now to know zhat I practically vorship libraries and have no vish to desecrate or destroy zhem in any fashion. But, a ‘no’ is certainly fine. I know how zhis place vorks and zhat it’s vell guarded and vhat not. I can always find another one vith simple zhings in it to vork from for now. Zhe other zhing--” Khitti paused, closing the book finally and staring at it in thought for a moment. “--I vant you to help me resurrect my sister.” If he had questions pertaining to this, she’d let him ask as she was not venturing further with the reasoning behind her inquiry.

"There are different levels to the Library," he is not speaking in terms of physical levels, as in there are multiple floors. The library is expansive. "With your talent and potential? I personally do not see why you should have restricted access to any of the materials offered with the library." Except or perhaps the Forbidden Tomes? Does anyone -actually- have access to that? Hm. "With that in mind you are allowed to move freely about the place, as far as I am concerned. I am not particularly concerned about damage to the place, the spells set in place are sufficient." Not foolproof, but they would help protect against the basic destructive elements like fire, ice, and probably electricity too. Within a reasonable extent. If Khitti found like...an earthquake spell or something, that would probably cause some mega damage. However, he trusted her judgement. One question answered, one question remaining. Surprisingly, Bradyn has no questions regarding this request. At least not yet. He presumes that Khitti wants to do this for sentimental reasons. "Alright." He does have more of a business end question regarding that. "Her condition...?" Dead obviously, years dead? Rotting dead? Preserved corpse dead? What state of dead...Creepy.

Khitti was… allowed to come here… whenever she wanted? Now is not the time to start randomly throwing confetti everywhere, woman. She really wants to though. It’s not often that she gets access to this stuff. Even the library in the Temple of Judgement in Frostmaw was pretty much off-limits to her now that she’d cashed in on the favor from Hildegarde from back during the war. There’s a nod, though, of understanding because of course she’s not going to screw that up. And then on to the other topic at hand. “Several years dead, technically. But, she vas brought back not long after I first arrived here in Lithrydel.” Pause. “By a mindflayer.” Another pause. “Zhere vill be decay, but vhatever is left is being preserved currently in shadow-ice. It’s been about two years, so.” It certainly wouldn’t be bones and definitely a lot of ick. Because it’s only been two years. Gross. Also there was this thing where she crushed Lydia’s skull. It wasn’t a fun day for Khitti at all. Nope.

Yes Khitti, this is what Bradyn said. The Maharan's mind has already moved on to this statement, for despite his own fondness for books, knowledge and history, there were other matters at hand. The statement Bradyn makes is based on what Khitti actually told him, he's opinion will probably change once he sees the actual state of the corpses' crushed in skull. "Well this sounds like a very straight forward job. I would be happy to assist...." you in not melting your sister's face off like you did that poor elf. Oh wait, he did not really care, it was funny to him. "If there is nothing else, then I will leave you to your perusing. You are well aware of where to send word when you are ready to perform this task." His intention to depart was made known, but he did not turn heel and walk off until Khitti makes it known she has nothing else to say. At times he could exhibit manners.